Linda Lavin
Leah Berenson
Leah Berenson
September 13, 2024 ·  3 min read

Iconic 1970s Sitcom Star and Tony Away Winner Looks Unrecognizable At 86. Do You Know Who She Is?

Linda Lavin was a beloved Sitcom star from the 1970s. Since her extensive career, she’s lived out of the spotlight but was recently spotted in Los Angeles, and fans can’t get over how different she looks. 

Linda Lavin is the Mystery Woman

Linda Lavin in a colorful bouse and blue skirt, carrying an orange purse. Blurred greenery in the background.
Image Credit: GarrettPress

She was recently spotted on the streets of Los Angeles, sporting a brightly colored floral shirt and blue shirt and carrying an orange purse. However, she wasn’t wearing much makeup and fans didn’t recognize the 86-year-old without her glam.

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Linda Lavin as “Alice”

A young Linda Lavin poses. Fireworks in the background.
Image Credit: Linda_Lavin | Instagram

She is well-known for her role as Alice on the CBS sitcom Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. The show was a made-for-TV adaptation of the 1974 film directed by Martin Scorsese. It ran for 9 years and produced over 200 episodes. However, Linda Levin started her career performing on Broadway nearly a decade earlier and gained greater fame in the years that followed her sitcom role. 

Musical Beginnings

A black, white, and burgundy album cover with a woman sitting in a chair.
Image Credit: Linda_Lavin | Instagram

Linda Lavin was born in Portland, Maine to a Russian-Jewish family on October 15, 1937. Her mother was an opera singer and her father was a businessman. She had a charmed life, in which music and performance were always prevalent. She began performing as a child and graduated from The College of William and Mary with a theater degree in 1959. 

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Her Career

Two people take a selfie inside a department store.
Image Credit: Linda_Lavin | Instagram

Shortly after graduation, Linda Lavin moved to New York to pursue a career in performance. In the late 1960s, she landed various Broadway roles, and by 1970 had her first Tony nomination. Then she left New York, and pursued an acting career in Hollywood, relocating to Los Angeles. There she appeared as a detective in Seasons 1 and 2 of Barney Miller. In 1976, she landed the role of Alice, bringing her fame and popularity.

Back to Broadway

Four people on a live performance set.
Image Credit: Linda_Lavin | Instagram

However, her career didn’t stop there. Rather, she went back to Broadway, appearing in the final part of a trilogy written by Neil Simon. Additionally, she performed in The Diary of Anne Frank and stepped in as an understudy in The Sisters Rosensweig. 

Current Project

Linda Lavin attends "Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase" World Premiere at AMC Century City 15, Los Angeles, CA on March 10th, 2019
Source: Shutterstock

Incredibly, Linda Lavin hasn’t quit working. In contrast, she’s quest appeared in shows like The Sopranos and The Good Wife. Moreover, she filmed a pilot called Mid-Century Modern, set to air in 2025. 

Linda Lavin’s Tumultuous Love Life

LOS ANGELES - AUG 1: Linda Lavin at the CBS TV Studios Summer Soiree TCA Party 2017 at the CBS Studio Center on August 1, 2017 in Studio City, CA
Source: Shutterstock

Linda Lavin has been married 3 times. Firstly, to Ron Leibman on September 7th, 1969. Leibman was also a star on Broadway and accompanied Linda on her move to California. Sadly, the pair divorced in August 1981.

However, Linda Lavin found love again, with Kip Niven, and the pair married in 1982. Ultimately, the relationship wasn’t healthy and it ended a decade later.

Linda Lavin’s Happy Relationship

A couple poses together at a restaurant. Wall decor in the background.
Image Credit: Linda_Lavin | Instagram

Fortunately, her luck improved, and she married her current husband, Steve Bakunas on Valentine’s Day in 2005.

Contributions to Performance

Linda Lavin in attendance for 53rd Annual Drama Desk Awards Ceremony, Laguardia High School at Lincoln Center, New York, NY, May 18, 2008
Source: Shutterstock

Linda Lavin has no biological children but is a stepmom to her second and third husbands’ children. Moreover, she has pursued establishing a scholarship, the Linda Lavin Theatre Research Award, and offers masterclasses at her Alma Mater. The scholarship was established in 2011 and is meant to be given annually to students and mentors pursuing research related to theater or dance.

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Sources

  1. Linda Lavin Theatre Research Award.” WM
  2. Biography.” IMDB
  3. Linda Lavin.” JWA
  4. Iconic 1970s sitcom star who also won a Tony Award is unrecognizable at 86… but can you guess who she is?Daily Mail. Sameer Suri. September 4, 2024.